DLT lands $1M federal grant

The U.S. Department of Labor, led by Hilda L. Solis, announced nearly $12 million in grants to states to improve the quality of workforce data, including a $1 million award to the R.I. Department of Labor and Training.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced nearly $12 million in grants to states to improve the quality of workforce data, including a $1 million award to the R.I. Department of Labor and Training.

The grants were awarded through the second round of funding under the Workforce Data Quality Initiative to help states build or expand longitudinal databases or workforce data and link them to education data in hopes of improving overall performance.

“The states awarded in this second round of funding now will be able to develop high-quality, long-term data that will provide consumers, practitioners and policymakers with comprehensive information about the relationship between education and workforce development programs,” Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis said in prepared remarks.

In a separate release, Charles J. Forgarty, director of the DLT, said “By creating a data hub to monitor the relationship between education and employment, Rhode Island will now be able to better measure the effectiveness and impact of its K-20 and workforce development policies.”

In addition to Rhode Island, the following states received a three-year grant in the second round of funding: Arkansas, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Washington.

Thirteen states received funds under the first round of grants: Florida, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia. The first round grantees were not eligible to apply for the second round of funding.

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